The story is political, pulling in elements from previous books about the government and environmental concerns. It manages to pack a lot of depth and meaning into such a short book and it really is the art that helps accomplish that.

Put simply this books is a gorgeous, quiet, and funny murder mystery.

The gorgeous part cannot be understated. I love the artwork so much. It’s both casual and precise, detailed but not overwhelming. The line work seems deceptively simple and expresses so much, while the colours are simple with a limited palette, but used so perfectly. It all comes together to make such peaceful pieces that make me feel calm. I get lost in the art.

As the title suggests, the tower and the sea are featured locations, and I couldn’t get enough artwork of the sea. I found it gorgeous and completely mesmerising, whether there were boats traversing the waves, characters standing by the sea, or simply speech bubbles overlaid on the endless blue.

While the first book in the series was mostly beautiful, quiet moments between characters and minimal plot, this book was mostly plot with a few significant moments between a whole new cast of characters. It was different, but also the same.

The plot is almost–almost–incidental. The real focus is on the quiet, lonely nature of the world and the easy, light friendship that builds between Ed and Faustine.

And the art. Oh, the art. Blues, reds, greens, and yellows… melding and overlapping or in stark contrast, light and sparse or bold and filling the frame.